


Shards

by SunflowerAro



Series: Familiar [4]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:26:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23732308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerAro/pseuds/SunflowerAro
Summary: Now that he's back on the island, Tails is determined for Sonic to remember something.
Series: Familiar [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653865
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68





	Shards

Sonic awoke to incessant tapping on his door. He shook his head groggily, rubbing at his eyes in a vain attempt to wake himself. Despite turning in early, Sonic had tossed and turned for hours before drifting off into a light doze. 

“Sonic, breakfast is ready!” Tails’ chipper voice reached his ears through the door. 

Sonic fought to pull himself out of the hammock, gracelessly flopping onto the floor. He groaned at his misfortune; the hammock looked cool, but it certainly wasn’t practical. Tails opened the door curiously at the soft _thump_ , a teasing smile pulling at his lips when he saw Sonic lying face down on the floor. Sonic shot him a halfhearted glare and Tails chuckled at him, kneeling by him and offering a hand, pulling him back up.

“It took you a while to get used to it before, as well,” Tails said, shaking his head as he huffed another laugh, eyes sparkling as he disappeared into his memories. 

“Thanks,” Sonic yawned, stretching his arms above his head when the alluring scent of freshly baked muffins wafted into his room as though it had been following behind Tails. His eyes widened in anticipation and Tails laughed.

“Knuckles made muffins for breakfast.” Tails gestured for Sonic to follow him as he led the way back into the main area. 

True to his word, Knuckles had set up a plate brimming with raspberry muffins, dusted lightly with sugar, on the kitchen counter. Amy sat on a stool by the counter, munching away on a muffin as she watched Knuckles slice fruit. 

“Come on. Have one while they’re still warm,” Tails said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the plate. 

Tails picked up two, passing him one and shooting Knuckles an appreciative smile before taking a bite. Sonic was hesitant to follow his lead, but pulled off a piece of the muffin, plopping into his mouth. Sugar and warmth burst onto his tongue, the sweetness of the raspberries inside bringing a smile to his lips as he took an eager bite. 

Sonic polished off the muffin quickly, reaching for another before he paused. The others were all watching him with wide grins. Sonic blushed under their eyes, shifting nervously and pulling his hand back to his side.

“What?” He asked, voice quiet.

Amy chuckled. “It’s just been a long time since we’ve seen your appetite in action.”

Tails nodded beside her, smiling fondly. “There are plenty left, have as many as you want.”

Sonic remained hesitant, but then Tails turned back to Amy to talk to her about an orchard. Knuckles watched him for another excruciatingly painful moment before he drifted back over to the oven. Sonic’s shoulders relaxed and he plucked another muffin from the pile. 

Knuckles was an amazing cook, for an echidna.

From what Sonic had seen of the echidnas, they were brutes focused on reaching their goals; cooking just wasn’t important to them, not when food was only an instrument to keep them moving.

He hummed in thought as he watched Knuckles present a platter piled high with fruits, Amy and Tails cheering with glee at the sight of it.

“Sonic! Come have some.” Amy waved him over and he found her exuberance contagious. 

He sat down on the stool beside her with a grin, pausing momentarily at the sheer amount of fruits he could choose from. His eyes widened upon seeing a familiar red fruit and he eagerly picked up a slice of watermelon from the pickings. He bit down on the sweet fruit with an appreciative nod. It was cool and refreshing on his tongue, much to his glee.

“Oh! I almost forgot.” Sonic looked up as Tails leaned forward to gain his attention. “I wanted to take you somewhere after breakfast, if that’s okay?” He asked, eyes lighting up curiously. 

Sonic tilted his head, but nodded. It couldn’t hurt, and he was eager to learn more about the island he had called home not so long ago. “Sure,” he said once he had finished chewing the fruit. “Where?”

Tails grinned, eyes sparking with mischief. “It’s a surprise.”

Sonic shot him a glare, but Tails only grinned even more brightly at him, sticking his tongue out teasingly. Huffing petulantly, Sonic turned back to the fruit platter, pushing aside his curiosity in favour of calming the ravenous beast currently occupying his stomach.

*

“So, where are we headed?” Sonic asked for the umpteenth time, brushing aside the wide, splaying leaves reaching across the trail as he walked by Tails’ side. 

Tails only grinned, clasping his hands together behind his back. “You’ll see.”

“Can you at least tell me if we’re close?” Sonic grumbled, wiping at the sweat coating the fur on his forehead. They had been walking for hours. If he had known Tails would be taking him across the island, he would have brought snacks.

Tails hummed thoughtfully, placing a hand over his chin. “We should be close now.”

“Should be?” Sonic raised an eyebrow.

“It’s been a while,” Tails admitted squinting as he looked ahead. “Oh! It’s just up here.” He pointed to a narrow path up a slope, the rocks crumbly and dirt loose. Tails really expected them to safely scale that?

“Seriously?” Sonic grumbled. 

Tails patted him on the shoulder with a laugh. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” 

Sonic huffed, but followed Tails in climbing the slope, letting out a yelp when he lost his footing on the crumbling rock momentarily. Tails shot him a worried look, but continued when Sonic latched onto the rocks to stabilise himself. 

After what felt like a lifetime, Sonic crawled over the ledge, lying down on his front and panting. 

“Are we there?” Sonic asked once he had caught his breath, taking Tails’ proffered hand and glaring at the smirk on his friend’s face. He was built for running, not for climbing.

Tails pulled him back up, turning to face what lay behind him. “We’re here!” he announced. 

Sonic followed his gaze and found his breath taken from his lungs once more. His eyes widened as he stepped forward to Tails’ side.

Tails looked up at his with a grin. “Like it? It’s the waterhole we used to visit.”

Sonic nodded, still in awe at the sight of paradise before him, at the sense of peace washing over him at the sight of the place, even if he couldn’t remember ever stepping foot in the clearing. 

The waterhole was covered on all sides by trees, branches reaching across in an attempt to hold each other. Their verdant leaves fluttered lazily onto the still, clear water, ripples spreading out across its expanse at their touch. As he and Tails stepped closer, Sonic could make out the rocks at the bottom of the pool, devoid of fish and algae alike. Yellow lilies burst from the ground along the sides, glittering like gold in the water’s reflection and swaying in the gentle breeze. 

“We…used to come here?” Sonic breathed, as though if he were to raise his voice, the image before him would shatter like fragile glass. 

Tails nodded brightly. “You and I found this place when we first started living here, back when we were still building the house. We all used to come here when it got too hot and relax.”

Sonic frowned, turning away from the waterhole. “But I can’t swim.” He scrunched his face up.

Tails laughed. “So? Neither can Amy—I think it’s a hedgehog thing, actually,” Tails murmured to himself. “You guys would just sit on the edge and sun bake.” 

Sonic hummed thoughtfully. That did sound pleasant. “Can we do that?” 

Tails beamed. “I thought you’d never ask. Come on!” He dragged Sonic over to the rocks at the pools edge, laying back under the shade of the trees. 

Sonic closed his eyes as a pleasant breeze caressed his skin, taking in a deep, appreciative breath of the crisp air. Brilliant green leaves rustled above them and the sun lit up the pool, leaving it sparkling with a thousand jewels between the shadows of the canopy. 

“Does this place…bring anything back?” Tails asked hesitantly, turning to look at him with almost desperation in his eyes.

Sonic grimaced, turning back to survey the waterhole, taking in every fine detail once more. He had been here before, but he couldn’t recall the events. It was like déjà vu. Sonic shook his head, grimacing when Tails’ expression fell and he stared down into the water, brows pinched. 

Sonic opened his mouth to apologise, but all that came out was a sigh. He shook his head with a frown. Why couldn’t he remember? He had been here before, knew where the rocks became slippery, and knew of the little pool below the rocks, water cascading down quietly; he couldn’t remember what he had _done_ here. Had he dipped his toes in the cool water when it became too hot? Had he sat with Amy in the shade of the trees like he was with Tails now? 

He didn’t know, and it made him want to rip out his own brain at its ineptitude, to shout at it to work properly. 

“We can try something else?” Tails offered, but it sounded hopeless even with the cheer Tails forced into his words. 

Sonic forced himself to smile at him, regardless of the futility of the idea. “Sure.” 

They stood, intent on leaving. Sonic dusted any dirt from his fur, casting a forlorn look back at the peaceful pool behind him.

“How did you guys build that tower, anyway?” Sonic asked as he waited for Tails to shake all the dirt and leaves from his tails. Anything to shift Tails' focus from the sombre mood that had settled over them.

Tails paused in picking out a stick from his fur. “The tower was already there, actually. Leftover from another time, we guessed. We all stayed there while we built the house, but it was Knuckles who did most of the work,” Tails chuckled, looking up as though lost in memory. 

Sonic paused, leaning against the rock in thought. “How long did the house take to make?” 

“Well, it took us three about two weeks to set up the foundation. When Knuckles came, he helped us finish it in a month with his super strength. That, combined with Amy’s hammer, and our time was cut down infinitely.”

Sonic blinked. “Knuckles has super strength?” 

Tails nodded. “Yeah. It’s what makes him so different from the other echidnas, besides his lack of brutality,” Tails added. “We all seem to have enhanced strength and agility, but we each have our own little thing: you with your speed and Knuckles with his strength. Amy and I have—” Tails let out a yelp as his foot caught on something and he stumbled, Sonic grabbing onto his arm before he could face-plant into the grass.

“Thanks,” Tails said, blushing slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. “Got a little distracted. What was that?” Tails looked back to the object. 

He crouched down beside it. “It looks like…glass?” Tails voice rose curiously at the end as he carefully latched onto the glass, prying from the ground. 

He turned back to Sonic as he wiped away the dirt and grime covering the glass, leaning closer to inspect it. Light caught the piece and Sonic winced as it burned his eyes, covering them and moving to stand closer to Tails. 

“Where is it…” Sonic trailed off as he caught the eyes of his reflection in the glass. A deep yearning clawed its way through his chest, roaring with such a ferocity he couldn’t ignore it even if he dared to try. “Can I look at it?” he breathed, unable to tear his eyes away from the piece in Tails’ hands. 

Tails hummed curiously, but passed it over to him without hesitance. “Sure. I haven’t seen it here before.” 

Sonic shivered as the cool glass made its way into his hands, icy tendrils piercing through his gloves. As he turned it to face him, a black haze appeared around the edges of his vision, spreading further and further as numbness filled him like water, starting at his toes and rising. His hearing became muted as the world around him faded, and he found he couldn’t even turn to Tails to cry for help before the blackness enveloped him.

_Blinding light pierced his vision and he winced as a headache burst to life in his temples. Sonic raised his hands to cover his eyes, cringing as his eyes burned in the sudden light. As the pain receded, so did the light. Sonic lowered his hands cautiously, blinking at the harsh, but no longer painful, light._

_He staggered back as his vision cleared: he stood by the waterhole once more. Crisp, brown leaves sat upon the grey water like freckles; Sonic shivered as a cold breeze pushed at his skin, raising his arms to hug himself for warmth. It had been so warm only moments ago…_

_Where was Tails?_

_Sonic’s eyes widened in alarm and he spun around, searching for his friend—he wasn’t on the trail anymore. Okay. Okay, probably just climbed down ahead. The glass was just some weird waking dream; he_ had _slept terribly. Sonic shook his head to knock himself out of his stupor, pushing down the anxiety as he took slow steps towards the slope. He frowned, pausing, before digging his foot into the dirt. He felt nothing, heard nothing._

_What the…?_

_Like a rope tied around his waist, Sonic was suddenly torn back towards to waterhole, the sheer force almost leaving him on the ground before he stumbled to catch himself. He raced to catch up with the pull before he could face plant into the grass. Sonic looked up as he walked with the force, eyes widening. He froze, counting himself lucky that the rope had gained some slack. He hurried to catch up, but couldn’t take his eyes off of the sight of himself. A second Sonic sat down on the rocks he himself had perched on only a mere half hour ago. Beside the second him, Tails sat, skipping rocks._

_What…?_

_The rope lessened its hold and disappeared, leaving Sonic standing on the other side of the waterhole facing the second him and Tails. Sonic sat down by the rocks, pushing himself into a corner and away from the cool breeze, keeping his eyes on the two. The breeze persisted however, much to his chagrin. Shivering, Sonic perked up as Tails opened his mouth to speak. Maybe if he shifted closer he could hear them._

_“We should head back soon, before the others get worried.” Sonic flinched, turning to his right, expecting his Tails to be there; the space was empty._

_He turned back to the pair, eyes wide as his doppelgänger nodded without sparing Tails a glance._

_“A couple more minutes,” he found himself gritting out._

_Sonic opened his mouth curiously, but no sound came out when he tried to speak._

_Tails hummed, and the pleasant noise was so close Sonic found himself flinching. Tails continued to hum as he began to skip rocks across the pool once more. Sonic pursed his lips, resting his head on his knee as he looked up at the now cloudy, grey sky. Hadn’t it been devoid of clouds earlier?_

_Sonic yelped as a rock came straight for him, but it was too late to avoid it. He raised his arms to protect his chest, closing his eyes in anticipation._

_He felt nothing._

_Sonic frowned, unfurling himself and looking behind him, the rock now resting by the wall. He turned back to the other two. Was he…_

_Sonic’s eyes widened and he nearly smacked himself on the forehead for not realising it sooner: he was in a memory. But why had the piece of glass triggered it rather than the waterhole?_

_He furrowed his brows, but couldn’t come up with a reason. He had to be here for a reason, though. Otherwise the glass wouldn’t be showing him this._

_He turned back to his past self with renewed vigour, but he and Tails hadn’t done anything since his sudden revelation. Tails had begun to whistle absentmindedly, but his past-self had barely moved._

_Sonic pursed his lips as time passed, turning to watch as a leaf drifted lazily towards the pool to join its siblings, nodding along to the tune Tails was providing. He let out a breath, shaking his head to stave of boredom when the flames of anger began to lick at his ribs, curling between each with ferocity. He found himself sneering without thought, turning back to his past-self curiously. If he couldn’t feel anything or make any noise, this had to be coming from his past-self._

_He frowned when he noticed the darkness in his past-self’s eyes as he glared down at the stones below him._

_“I hate this!” they both yelled, Sonic jumping as the aggression flared from his mouth. Tails joined him, the calm whistling cutting off abruptly as he turned to look at his friend worriedly._

_Sonic raised a hand as tears blurred his eyes unbidden, but he couldn’t feel their wetness with his fingertips, could only grimace as they grew._

_“Sonic?” Tails asked softly, shifting closer._

_His past-self turned away with a shaky huff. “I hate it here,” he said, voice low. Whether it was in anger, or fear of giving his tears away, Sonic wasn’t certain._

_Tails raised a hand hesitantly, but it only hung in the air before he curled his fingers tightly, letting his hand back into his lap. “You don’t mean that. This island is beautiful, and once we finish the house, it’ll be perfect!”_

_His past-self scoffed. “I don’t_ want _to have to live here.” His face fell, any lingering anger fizzling out as cold numbness spread like ice through his veins. “I just want to go home.”  
Tails opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked back at the water, brows pinched together, a frown tugging his lips downwards. _

_His past-self continued before Tails could think of anything to say. “If it weren’t for this stupid power, I would still be with Longclaw. I wouldn’t be in danger all the time. I wouldn’t—” he broke off as a choked sob tore its way through his lips and Tails turned to him abruptly with wide eyes._

_His past-self curled in on himself as the tears finally spilled over, burning paths down his cheeks. “It’s my fault she’s gone,” he whispered._

_Tails hesitated, before he shuffled closer and wrapped his arms around his friend’s shoulders, drawing him into his embrace._

_Sonic smiled faintly as warmth blanketed his senses, blocking out the chill both inside and out and he sniffled. Tails said nothing as he rocked his past-self, didn’t have any words to say that his actions couldn’t._

_Sonic flinched as the haze creeped into his vision once more, but he closed his eyes against it, sitting back as he waited._

“Sonic?” 

Sonic blinked, wincing against the sudden brightness, against the heat pushing against his fur in a stark contrast to the biting cold he had felt seconds ago, even with Tails’ warmth against him. 

Tails gasped worriedly, reaching out to brush his hand against his cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Sonic frowned, raising a hand and flinching when he felt wet tears lingering there. He brushed them away quickly, looking back down into the glass. “What is this?” he asked.

Tails frowned, but turned back to the glass. “I think it was part of a mirror, but it isn’t safe. We should get rid of it.” He reached out to take it and Sonic pulled it closer to his chest, away from Tails' hands. 

“No, it…I remembered something!” He scanned the mirror for anything else, but saw only his own tired expression.

Tails brightened significantly, grabbing one of his hands in both of his own. “Really?” 

Sonic grinned at his effervescence, nodding. “Yeah. When I picked up the mirror piece I was sent back…I think we were still building the house.”

Tails frowned, before realisation dawned on his features. “You saw…was it when you were…” He made a face and Sonic nodded.

“Upset? Yeah.”

“Can you see anything else?” Tails asked, voice high with hope.

Sonic sighed, shaking his head. “I only saw that. Do you think we could find more?” 

Tails eyes widened. “Oh! I’m sure we could. Maybe we’ll find them if we go to places you’ve been?”

Sonic nodded, fiery determination filling his veins. “I’m taking this back with me. I want to keep it.” He refused to leave a piece of his fragile mind out in the open, especially when it held the key to a memory now dear to him. 

“Come on, let’s go find more.” 

Tails followed after him, already musing about potential places they could visit next.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any feedback or thoughts!  
> Stay safe and I'll see you guys in the next part <3


End file.
